Thanks for the info Aileen but I will be watching court side. I just think its bad that a British tie is not shown support by anyone by being shown on tv. Not everyone has access to a computer.

I'm glad you're going to actually be there and agree that it doesn't say much for the BBC to continue to ignore matches just because GB isn't in the World Group. I bet though that they might have shown it if Andy had been playing - and that isn't fair to the other players who do try to give their all for their country.

I'm glad you're going to actually be there and agree that it doesn't say much for the BBC to continue to ignore matches just because GB isn't in the World Group. I bet though that they might have shown it if Andy had been playing - and that isn't fair to the other players who do try to give their all for their country.

Totally agree its not fair to james, jamie, colin and johnny. No doubt it would have been shown if Andy had been there. We will just have to shout all the louder. Eurosport are apparently showing highlights at 8.30pm.

I'm glad you're going to actually be there and agree that it doesn't say much for the BBC to continue to ignore matches just because GB isn't in the World Group. I bet though that they might have shown it if Andy had been playing - and that isn't fair to the other players who do try to give their all for their country.

I think bbc has virtually given up on tennis apart from Wimbledon, Queens and the finals of slams - all part of the cuts I suspect. There was a time when ITV started showing DC I think but perhaps they've taken RG instead? But can't believe someone wouldn't be showing it if Andy were playing so I agree it's disrespectful to those who are.

I think bbc has virtually given up on tennis apart from Wimbledon, Queens and the finals of slams - all part of the cuts I suspect. There was a time when ITV started showing DC I think but perhaps they've taken RG instead? But can't believe someone wouldn't be showing it if Andy were playing so I agree it's disrespectful to those who are.

Andy Murray watches all of the recent success by players in their 30s and likes what he sees.

Men 30 and older made a big splash at the Sony Open last week, including semifinalist Tommy Haas, at 34 the oldest player in the ATP Tour's top 50, and runner-up David Ferrer, who lost a thrilling final to Murray. Serena Williams, 31, became the oldest women's champion.

It's a trend that might continue into the clay-court season that began on Monday, and beyond.

"It has been quite interesting," said Murray, 25. "Guys are reaching their peak later in their careers. The average age at the top 100 has increased by a few years since I first came on the tour."

The Sony Open had 22 thirtysomething men in the draw, compared with 12 a decade ago. Twenty years ago, there were only four men 30 or older.

Ferrer, who turns 31 on Tuesday, and 31-year-old Jurgen Melzer staged the first all-thirtysomething men's quarterfinal at Key Biscayne since 2003. Add Haas, and for only the third time since 1990, three men 30 or older reached the quarterfinals of a Masters event.

"I think about it - Haas at 34," Sam Querrey said. "Hey, I'm 25. I really hope that I can go for nine good more years. It gives me more motivation and more hope that I can have a nice, long career like those guys."

But the style of play has changed, with trips to the net much more infrequent than in the past. Top players can win by hugging the baseline.

"A lot of the guys that used to play serve and volley had a lot of problems with their backs and their knees and hips, and finished when they were 28 or 29 years old," Murray said. "And now guys are probably training better. There are better training methods, and people probably understand how to recover from matches better and are learning new things all the time about how the body works."

Many former No 1 women retired before 30 as well, including Monica Seles, Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters and Jennifer Capriati.

The No 1-ranked Williams joked last week about buying a Rolls-Royce in response to a mid-life crisis when she turned 30. But she might be more dominant than ever, and her conditioning seems at a peak for the challenges of clay.Ad Feedback

Two other thirtysomethings are ranked in the women's top 15 - Li Na and Roberta Vinci, a late-bloomer ranked a career-high No. 13 at age 30.

As tennis takes on a more mature look, teen sensations are becoming less common. On the men's side, Becker was a two-time Wimbledon champion before he turned 20. Mats Wilander won his first major title at 17, Borg at 18, Pete Sampras at 19.

But the most recent teenage men's Grand Slam champion was a 19-year-old Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open.

Again, Querrey sees changes in the style of play as a factor.

"Compared to 20 years ago, I think guys can hit the ball bigger now," he said. "A man can just overpower and blow away an 18-year-old boy. I think 20 years ago with the rackets and the way people played, guys couldn't just blow through an 18- or 19-year-old. Guys weren't big power guys. You couldn't hit the ball through players as much, so it allowed some of the younger players to feel their way into the game.

"Nowadays I feel that's tougher to do. There is a bigger difference between the way a bigger, stronger man plays compared to an 18- or 19-year-old."

Haas, who turns 35 on Wednesday, is a muscular 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds (1.88 meters and 86 kilograms). And he's No. 14 this week, the highest he has been ranked in five years.

The German said he and other thirtysomethings on the tour know how to take care of their bodies and are properly conditioned.

"I think what it comes down to is the older you get, you would assume you get wiser," he said. "Now with nutrition and everything you can do, the right training, the trainers that you have, it just helps you mentally.

"You just know what works for you best. You might do a lot of lifting; you might do a lot of cardiovascular workout. You try to figure out what helps you the best if you want to keep on riding it for as long as you can."

Tournament director Zeljko Franulovic confirmed Del Potro's acceptance earlier today, which in turn means that nine of the world's top 10 players will feature at the competition.

"We are very pleased to receive Juan Martin in the principality and [it] is a great treat for our audience. [He is] a great player with an impressive track record and great ambitions every year," Franulovic said in a statement.

Roger Federer is the only player from the top 10 that is not due to compete in Monte Carlo, although reports have claimed that officials are willing to also offer him a wildcard.

Andy Murray watches all of the recent success by players in their 30s and likes what he sees.

Well I won't be complaining if Andy carries on playing into his 30s. He is after all already what's called 'a late bloomer'. Djoko and Nadal will have burnt themselves out by, if not before, they turn 30, and Federer is certainly past his best even although he intends to carry on playing as long as possible.

Is elite tennis now just a case of last man standing? [Eurosport, 2 April]By Simon Reed

Tennis has become steadily more gladiatorial and it is losing a lot of quality because of the ‘last man standing’ nature of the matches at the highest level.

Many of the ATP finals are about one player outlasting another, and the concept of pure tennis does not come into it, sadly. It is a great shame that players have to concentrate all of their efforts on simply surviving physically.

A classic example was at the Miami Masters when the final between Andy Murray and David Ferrer simply came down to conditioning and the two players taking themselves to their limits in terms of fitness.

I am a Murray fan, but it was not great tennis: it was an error-strewn contest decided by the Brit’s astonishing levels of fitness and strength; it was a difficult match to watch with two players giving absolutely everything in tough conditions.

Novak Djokovic and Murray are the top two players in the world right now because they are fitter than anyone else and can outlast their opponents under all sorts of difficult situations and in testing match after testing match.

Rafael Nadal has relied upon his superior intensity and fitness levels for a long time at the top of the game, and his strength and power continues to see him thrive despite a spate of long-term injury problems.

But is this all we want from the game that we love? Do we just want to see marathon finals decided by one player outlasting another?

I am far from the biggest purist, but I sometimes despair when I see this survival tennis becoming such a theme in the modern game.

The last couple of tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami have left me increasingly concerned for the future of the sport, with American TV networks even cutting away from matches because of their seemingly endless plodding.

There has to be a solution, however, and I believe that it is to quicken up the courts – to shorten the rallies and to restore the game to be focusing primarily upon shot-making and not purely on fitness levels.

The sport is fast becoming a question of ultra fit players slogging it out on desperately slow courts, and the benchmark of a so-called good match is how long it lasted. This has to change, because spectators and TV networks are fast losing interest.

The courts at Indian Wells and Miami were shockingly slow, and this is becoming an issue across the board. Even at Wimbledon, the courts are slower by the year and that is not conducive to pure, attacking tennis.

No one wants to see consistently defensive play from the top players, and the issue of fitness should be a secondary aspect behind the quality of the shots that are produced at the top level. After all, why do we watch tennis if it is not to admire the play of the best in the world?

The talent is being taken away from the tennis, and incredibly gifted shot-makers are being crushed due to them not having enough strength or stamina – we will never again see a young player burst onto the scene in an exciting way because of how difficult it is to compete physically. An immensely talented player such as Grigor Dimitrov has not had a sniff of a Grand Slam, whereas in other eras perhaps he could have stunned the world.

The players have to put so much into matches that it is impossible for them to maintain such a high intensity throughout the season – this means that there are always going to be very serious blips in form and drops in quality. It has to be a real concern.

Tennis at the very highest level has totally changed, even in the last five years, and it is far too attritional now. We want to see the very best of the top players, and the courts and the approach has to change, because the game is only going in one direction.